Solar electric systems not sustainable

Almost nine years ago, I installed a 3.15kw solar electric system on our house in Las Cruces. At that time there was not one company in Las Cruces installing solar electric systems, so I had the Solar Biz Company in Glenwood design the system, sell me the components and I installed it myself.

There is one major problem with solar electric systems -- energy storage. They are great as long as the sun shines, but at night, when the power is needed the most, the power production is zero.

The storage problem can be solved in two ways. One is to install batteries that are charged during the day and use the power from the cells at night. Batteries are improving, but will always limit the available power, require continuous recharging, consume a lot of space, are expensive and require constant maintenance. The current alternative to batteries is a grid-tied system that is connected to a power company. The power company acts as an unlimited battery available 24/7 at no real cost to the solar user.

This business model is unsustainable. Power grids are extremely expensive to build, maintain and operate, but the non-solar customers are providing energy storage to the solar-users for free. This situation puts the power companies into a lose/lose position. They must either charge the solar user a storage fee or charge the non-solar users a higher rate to subsidize the solar users. Every power company customer vehemently resists these alternatives.

I am a robust alternative energy advocate, especially solar, but if the storage problem is not solved, then the widespread development and installation of solar electric systems will fail.

Robert C Brown

Las Cruces

Marxist playbook

Marxists published a chronicle on how to take over a country a few years ago including:

1. infiltrate the education system;

2. infiltrate the media, newspapers, television and social media;

3 infiltrate our churches;

4 infiltrate at least one political party;

5 lower our moral values;

6 turn a blind eye to natural law;

7. Destroy the rule of law and the constitution;

8 destroy the borders;

9 the ends justifies the means, including half truths and outright lies.